Medically useful liquid tissue adhesives and sealant composition are known in the art, however delivery of such compositions for sealing open and deep wounds, principally in the area of the neck, abdomen, chest or groin, is difficult. The ability to quickly and easily treat wounds is particularly pertinent in emergency situations such as a battlefield or an accident scene, since in such life or death situations, it is essential to stop bleeding and prevent hemorrhage to allow for evacuation of the patient. An ideal device must be self-contained, lightweight, and easily utilized by individuals with minimal medical training.
Various devices and methods for control of severe bleeding are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,943,810 to Buckman et al. describes devices and methods for achieving hemostasis in patients who have received skin-penetrating wounds to the periphery, including the head, arms, and legs. The devices utilize fluid impermeable barriers surrounded by exterior dams and pressure to achieve tamponade and hemostasis, primarily by exertion of force to hold the dams against the skin surrounding a wound. Such devices do not utilize adhesives to function as they are attached to the patient using mechanical locking devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,765 to Weldon et al. describes a wound-treating device, which is adapted to treat wounds, and particularly to enhance clotting of wounds in blood vessels. The wound-treating device includes an elongated tube comprising at least two lumens wherein one of the lumens is attached to a flow control device partially positioned within the blood vessel to provide local flow control and an inflatable means, such as a flexible membrane is deliverable through the other lumen. Such a device provides a means for depositing a hemostatic agent in the opening of a blood vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,269 to Zhu et al. describes a patch applicator requiring a source of vacuum to administer a patch on top of and over a wound in tissue, followed by subsequent delivery of a flowable adhesive onto the patch and tissue surrounding the patch. Such a system is not suitable for use in most emergency situations.
While U.S. Pat. No. 7,371,403 to McCarthy et al. describes hemorrhage control wound dressings, and methods for their use, wherein the wound dressings are formed of a material comprising chitosan, a hydrophilic polymer, a polyacrylic polymer or a combination thereof, no device is disclosed for utilization of the compositions in emergency medical situations
Therefore, a need exists for a simple, portable device to stop bleeding and prevent hemorrhage in emergency medical situations.
A need also exists for device that is self-contained, lightweight, and easily utilized by individuals with minimal medical training.
A further need exists for a device applicable to life or death situations to stop bleeding and to allow for evacuation of the patient.
The present invention addressed these and other needs.